Syrian Protesters Again Rush Israeli Border; Israeli Military Opens Fire

This is the second such incident in a month. Syria's Bashar al Assad knows that his regime is under a serious threat from the ongoing protests against his brutal regime, so he's falling back on the region's one constant relief valve - find a way to bring Israel into things.

Syrians again rushed the Israel-Syria border fence, and Israelis opened fire on those attempting to infiltrate into Israel.

Syrian television says four protesters were killed. An Israeli army spokesman said about 12 demonstrators were wounded but said he could not confirm any deaths.

The Israeli army says its troops had "no choice" but to open fire after hundreds of demonstrators ignored numerous warnings to stay clear of the boundary fence on the Golan.

The demonstrators were marking the anniversary of Israel's capture of the Golan Heights, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

The fighting occurred over several hours and throngs of Syrians repeatedly attempted to illegally enter Israel.

The way the border works, there's a series of fences and zones. There's a Syrian fence, a no-man's land that happens to be mined, and the Israeli fence. These Syrians, including armed individuals, got past the Syrian fence, and were moving towards the Israeli fence

Two armed men were identified near the border fence in Kunetra, on the Syrian side of the border, the IDF Spokesman told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday afternoon.

There was no further official information about he identity of the gunmen, or their proximity to the border but a security official suggested that the men could be Syrian police or army forces

Prior to spotting the armed men, according to the IDF spokesperson, around 150 people managed to cross to the Syrian side of the fence, entering a mined zone between the two fences in the Majdal Shams area.

Curiously, Syria has done nothing to stop protests on its side of the border with Israel even as Lebanon has taken steps to prevent further border events. Lebanon declared the area a closed military zone, but Syria, with its ongoing protests against Assad, is using Israel as a foil to deflect attention from his barbaric crackdown that has killed at least a thousand protesters opposed to his regime.